I thought I'd offer some observations after four seasons and a decent number of miles with this car.
Fuel Economy
The car used 238.3 gallons of fuel in its first 10,377 miles for an average of 43.6 mpg. From there to its last fill-up at 20,422, it used 188.4, for an average of 53.3 mpg, which yields a lifetime average of 47.9 mpg, a little above its EPA estimate of 47 mpg. This proves the effectiveness of Honda's current hybrid implementation, with its lack of any sort of multi-speed gearbox.
The second 10K benefited from warmer temperatures, lower RVP fuel and probably the preceding miles of general break-in.
Best and worst tank averages were 37.1 mpg in the depths of winter and 57.6 in the halcyon days of late spring respectively.
The car spends about 60% of its miles on my fairly easy commute and about 25% on the interstate with the remainder consisting of local weekend shopping, trips to the library and various errands.
I'll guesstimate that I've saved around $600.00 in fuel costs to date. You'd obviously see greater savings were the price of gas higher, not that I'm wishing for higher fuel prices.
The $1800.00 or so price premium this car commanded over the 1.5T can be viewed in different ways. One might say that I've realized a 30% return on this investment thus far. One might also consider the marginal cost to be the price of insurance to cover possible gas price spikes. One might just as well admit that I really wanted to try a hybrid daily driver and that I found the price premium to be acceptable, particularly since I'll do around the same annual mileage over the next couple of years so should recoup my investment.
General Observations
The car has needed nothing to date other than a couple of oil changes, as one would expect from any decent new machine. Oil changes are really easy. The Accord is well screwed together with no rattles or other odd noises. The interior is okay but rather plain with lots of molded plastic. The seats are comfortable and there is ample rear seat legroom. This car is noticeably narrower than the Gen 8, lacks a center stack bin and features tiny door pockets. The center console offers generous space. The trunk is spacious but rather long and narrow. Ride is firm but well controlled although there is a lack of compliance over sharp road irregularities. This car drives well but is not a driver's car. The EPS is nicely weighted but doesn't offer much real road feel. There is plenty of grip but nothing encourages the driver to explore the limits. Things are typically really quiet although all [censored] breaks loose when you really leg it. Maximum acceleration is brisk but accompanied by the sound of the very efficient 2 liter at redline from the moment you floor the loud pedal. The car hits the ton with alacrity but is limited to a maximum of but 112 mph. The 143 bhp 2 liter could certainly provide a higher top speed all by itself, but that isn't an option in driving this car and nobody buys these for speed anyway. HVAC is good either heating or cooling. The electric AC works well and functions even while sitting in EV mode. The sound system is okay although in no way outstanding. There are dials for HVAC and radio volume, which I prefer over a screen. The Bluetooth works well and is a great convenience in taking the occasional call.
Overall, I've been very pleased with this Accord. The advertised fuel economy is real and the car itself makes a great daily driver.
I'd recommend one of these to anyone who does enough miles to really benefit from the fuel economy.
A year and 20K with the Accord Hybrid
- Thread starter fdcg27
- Start date
Nice review. I've always thought the Accords were a good looking car...
Nice write up!
Have been really happy with my '18 Accord too. Only wish I'd gotten the 2.0T w/ 10sp instead of 1.5T w/ CVT. The CVT is liveable and it's still a pretty spunky car but I do wish I had more oomf. Oh well, next time! In the meantime, I'll enjoy my 35MPG and cheap insurance.
Originally Posted by Throt
Have been really happy with my '18 Accord too. Only wish I'd gotten the 2.0T w/ 10sp instead of 1.5T w/ CVT. The CVT is liveable and it's still a pretty spunky car but I do wish I had more oomf. Oh well, next time! In the meantime, I'll enjoy my 35MPG and cheap insurance.
Originally Posted by JeffKeryk
Originally Posted by Throt
Have been really happy with my '18 Accord too. Only wish I'd gotten the 2.0T w/ 10sp instead of 1.5T w/ CVT. The CVT is liveable and it's still a pretty spunky car but I do wish I had more oomf. Oh well, next time! In the meantime, I'll enjoy my 35MPG and cheap insurance.
I think Honda overpriced the 2.0T engine. $4530 extra for 500cc larger 4 cylinder?? Pushes sticker to over 30k for a sport 6 mt. So many cars come with a turbo 4 cylinder these days its like totally ordinary and expected. You can get so many other turbo vehicles for much less. Sport trim is nice but its far from loaded. Might as well go Touring for 36k if your already paying up for 2.0T. Then you have the problem of only front wheel drive. Thats why we simply could not replace our 2014 accord sport with another Accord Sport. It was literally cheaper to buy a 40k msrp TourX than a Sport 6MT 2.0T. Buick was ON SALE and Accord was only for sale. I was not about to buy the [not most powerful engine] options.
OP,
How was the handling + heating performance in winter?
Additional winter tires set?
Thank you
Originally Posted by 2010Civic
$1,800 extra for the hybrid isn't bad at all.
JHZR2
Staff member
Great review. I still love my 2015 HAH, and my findings (and economy) mirror yours almost exactly. I don't find mine particularly raucous under WOT, and the rest of the time it's very pleasant.
I do wish that the eco mode was default, and turning it off forced the engine to stay on a bit more. Sometimes it's a bit aggressive, IMO, in shutting off the engine immediately after a drop in load, and in the winter I like the engine to do a bit more since the battery is less efficient and I don't want to be charging it as much when cold.
Originally Posted by pandus13
OP,
How was the handling + heating performance in winter?
Additional winter tires set?
Thank you
Except you only showed the fuel cost and not the electricity cost. Kind of miss leading on the true cost of running it. A VW diesel would get the same fuel mileage without the cost of electricity. It just shows that the cost of per miles going down the road is the same with a hybrid vs a gas engine car.
Originally Posted by rideahorse
Except you only showed the fuel cost and not the electricity cost. Kind of miss leading on the true cost of running it. A VW diesel would get the same fuel mileage without the cost of electricity. It just shows that the cost of per miles going down the road is the same with a hybrid vs a gas engine car.
